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Ciaran P. A. Connelly

Partner

“I distill complex legal matters into clear business terms so that my clients can make informed decisions and get on with running their businesses.”

Ciaran Connelly guides his clients through business disputes—whether they are best resolved through early intervention, or require full-blown litigation. Mr. Connelly has broad experience with complex commercial contract and real estate disputes, tort, insurance, and securities litigation. He was recognized as one of Oregon’s Rising Stars in 2017 by Super Lawyers Magazine. Before joining Ball Janik, Mr. Connelly worked as an associate at two prominent New York law firms, where he handled diverse matters ranging from complex commercial lease and contract disputes to mass–tort and insurance disputes, to regulatory and compliance investigation and defense.

“I distill complex legal matters into clear business terms so that my clients can make informed decisions and get on with running their businesses.”

Ciaran Connelly guides his clients through business disputes—whether they are best resolved through early intervention, or require full-blown litigation. Mr. Connelly has broad experience with complex commercial contract and real estate disputes, tort, insurance, and securities litigation. He was recognized as one of Oregon’s Rising Stars in 2017 by Super Lawyers Magazine. Before joining Ball Janik, Mr. Connelly worked as an associate at two prominent New York law firms, where he handled diverse matters ranging from complex commercial lease and contract disputes to mass–tort and insurance disputes, to regulatory and compliance investigation and defense.

Mr. Connelly’s experience with complex commercial contract and real estate disputes includes representing an investment bank in a $100 million lease dispute with its landlord, where he was responsible for all aspects of litigation from initial document gathering and client interviews to depositions, witness preparation, client counsel, trial preparation, mediation and arbitration sessions, and drafting of appellate briefs, motion papers, affidavits, and letters. Mr. Connelly worked on disputes involving the control and ownership of several high–profile office buildings in Portland, control of a prominent hotel management company, and several disputes between members of limited liability companies in Oregon, Washington, and New York. He consulted with a biotechnology firm to assess the merits of a potential contract and intellectual property dispute with its joint–venture research partner over an enzyme to be used in the production of biofuels. He represented a bank in a contract dispute with its client, a CEO, regarding a complex derivative transaction called a “cashless collar.” Mr. Connelly also has experience working on contract disputes with subjects as diverse as complex inter–lender agreements, railroad trackage rights, and head–hunting fees.

Mr. Connelly has broad tort experience, including representing large institutional investors in multi-billion-dollar securities suits against Wall Street banks and defending a Fortune 200 company in a nine–month civil RICO trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and in the subsequent appeal. He represented a Fortune 100 company in a shareholder dispute related to a multi–billion–dollar merger, and was part of a team that recovered $30 million on behalf of a union for actuarial malpractice. He also helped resolve a reinsurer’s liability in connection with a $1 billion Ponzi scheme. In a significant insurance coverage case, Mr. Connelly represented a reinsurance company in a $300 million bad–faith dispute with its reinsured related to an asbestos claim.

Mr. Connelly has significant experience representing corporations in regulatory and internal investigations. In addition to responding to FINRA and state attorney general requests, he represented a major accounting firm in an SEC investigation of the accounting practices of its largest client. He also aided an investment bank with an internal FCPA investigation into its business in China. Mr. Connelly also has experience in criminal appeals work, having handled two pro–bono appeals, one on behalf of a defendant, and one on behalf of the King County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s office.

Depth and Experience

Prior to joining Ball Janik LLP in 2011, Mr. Connelly was an associate with Grais & Ellsworth LLP, a boutique New York City law firm, where his practice focused on private label mortgage–backed securities litigation. Mr. Connelly’s responsibilities included researching legal and factual bases for claims, drafting pleadings and client memoranda, and managing teams of attorneys preparing for discovery.

From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Connelly was an associate with Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, an internationally recognized law firm, where his work focused on complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal cases, and regulatory investigations.

Before entering law school in 2001, Mr. Connelly was a litigation paralegal for two years with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York.

Mr. Connelly is a member of the American Bar Association, the Multnomah Bar Association and the Dartmouth Lawyers Association.

Mr. Connelly serves as the First Vice President of the Northwest District Association and sits on the NWDA’s Transportation Committee.

Related Case Studies

Practice Areas

Education

J.D., first in class, 2004University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of LawOrder of the CoifUtah Law Review National Moot Court Team S.J. Quinney Merit Scholarship William H. Leary Scholar

A.B., Philosophy/Government, 1999Dartmouth College

Admissions

New YorkOregonUtahWashingtonU.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitU.S. Court of Federal ClaimsU.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New YorkU.S. District Court for the District of OregonU.S. District Court for the District of UtahU.S. District Courts for the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington